What is a CPU/Processor?

The CPU(Central Processing Unit), or processor, is fundamentally the brain of your computer, so it should be among your first purchases when building or updating your system. Key factors to consider when buying a CPU include speed and cost, so take into account how you’ll be using your computer. Are you just building or upgrading a basic system? Or maybe you’re a computer enthusiast who plays games and loves outstanding multimedia entertainment?

Whether you need a powerful 64-bit processor, a mighty Pentium 4 or a games-crunching AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core 4GHz AM3+ Processor, TigerDirect Business has the processor to meet your needs, with one of the world’s largest and most complete selections of both AMD CPUs and Intel CPUs of every type.

Because both AMD and Intel are constantly upgrading their products, you should select the fastest, most powerful processor for your budget, so it won’t become obsolete as applications become more complicated and graphics-intensive. If you’re only using your computer for things like web-surfing, email and word processing, though, you can get by with a less expensive yet highly efficient processor such as AMD’s Sempron or Intel’s Celeron.

You’ll want to make sure that the processor you get is compatible with the motherboard you’ll be using in your system. CPU-motherboard compatibility is determined by the type of socket the processor fits into. For example, Socket 754, Socket 939 and Socket 940 are designed to work with AMD processors, while Socket 478 and LGA Socket 775 are for Intel processors

With its wide selection of CPUs, TigerDirect Business has the processor that’s right for your system and budget. You’ll also find a complete line of cooling fans, heatsinks, liquid cooling and controllers to fit every type of processor.

How to Choose a Processor

In this video we cover the basics on How to Choose a Processor (aka CPU aka The Chip). Here are a few distinct CPUs that would be suitable for various types of PC Builds, ranging from the everyday Basic Performance to a High Performance PC.

The CPU is the brain of your computer. The thing that carries out the tasks you give it. More advanced CPUs can perform various tasks at once and perform them faster. More cores means more multi-tasking, but it doesn’t always guarantee faster performance. Be sure to look at the factors like speed, the number of cores and the number of threads when purchasing the right CPU for your build. When one is searching for a CPU, lifestyle is very important. Whether it's school, family, work or gaming, your choice should be solution based.

Recent Customer Reviews

See for yourself

"See for yourself the level of performance this processor delivers, my expectations were vastly exceeded. It almost seems it's at the ready position from the moment I press the power button. Matched it with the ASUS Z87 Pro, 16GB of ram, SSD hard drive and CM Hyper T4 CPU fan. Lighting fast, runs cool and fun to drive. Recommend this processor for anyone looking for performance in photo and video editing as well as gaming."